Garment-measuring jacket



(No Model.)

W. G. VENNER. GARMENT MEASURING JACKET.

N0.458,263. v Patented'AugZB, 1891.

ms nomus Penna 20., nmwmm, wumnum, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

YVILLIAM GEORGE VENNER, OF HAMBURG, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO SAMUEL NEIVMAN, OF BUFFALO, NEIV YORK.

GARMENT-MEASURING JACKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,263, dated August 25, 1891.

Application filed May 2, 1890. Serial No. 350358. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM GEORGE VEN- NER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hamburg, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Measurin g Devices, of which the followingisa specification.

The object of this invention is to produce a simple and eflicient garment-measuring device, and it will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation showing the shape of the device when put on a person and secured in front, showing also the seams between the pattern-sections opened out or the sections separated, so that a pointed outting-wheel may be run between them for cutting the patterns for a gentlemans coat or jacket. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showingits form when on a person and adapted for marking or cutting the patterns for a ladys jacket or dress. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of Fig. 1; and Fig. i is an inside view of a portion of the sections, showing a suitable inside fastening device for securing the blanks thereto.

In carrying out my invention I take a conformator consisting of a number of sections, whichare cut of a size to approximately fit the object for which the patternis to be made, and secure upon each of the sections a blank or piece of paper or other suitable material of which the pattern is to be made. Each of the blanks is larger than the section to which it is secured, so that the edges of the adjoining blanks will overlap each other and make a double thickness wherever the outline of the pattern is'to be made, so that the edges or outlines of the two adjoining blanks will be marked or indicated at the same time, and thus insure aperfect fit. The

sections are united together by elastic strips or springs, so as to form a jacket that will be drawn together by the springs, and thereby adapt itself exactly to the form oi: any person upon which it may be placed by allowing the pattern-sections to separate or open or close the seams, more or less, according to the size or form of the wearer, the springs keeping everything taut, so that the blanks placed within the jacket before being put on and 3 and l the side-pattern sections.

As this invention is adapted for any objectfor which a pattern-section jacket may be required, whether it be a person or anything else, the number and shape of these sections may be varied to suit the use for which it is designed. For a female pattern-form it would be different, substantially as shown in Fig. 2, the only requisite being that they be suflicient to retain the pattern-blanks in position in such a manner as to cause the blanks to fit the object for which the pattern is to be used and not to interfere with the operation of the marking implement, which acts simultaneously upon the overlapping edges of the blanks, which are secured to the sections of the conformator. These pattern-sections are held together by a series of elastic bands or strips 5, which may be made of common rubber elastic covered with woven material, or,what is preferable and more lasting, a series of elastic-metal spiral springs covered with fibrous material, substantially as shown at 6 and 7 in Fig. 1. Instead of the series of springs 5 a single thin rubber spring may be used the whole length of the seam; but I do not think it would answer as well.

At the front of the jacket is a series of the ordinary clasp-fastenin gs 8, which may be made in any well-known way adapted for the purpose of drawing the jacket closely together on the wearer and securing it.

In operating with this device a series of pattern-blanks, corresponding with the patternsections, but made a little larger all around, substantially as shown by the dotted lines a in Fig. 1, so that the edges of each pattern piece or blank will extend far enough to lap over the edges of its adjacent pattern blank or piece, are secured to theinside of each pattern-section by means of the hooks 9 or any well-known convenient means for fastening them. (See Fig. 4.) hen the measuringjacket is on and all secured by the usual fastening devices 8, the seams 10 will be drawn more or lessapart, according to the form of the wearer. A sharp toothed cutting-wheel is now passed along the center of the seams, thereby cutting through and marking the required pattern. The jacket is now taken off, the patterns (which are preferably made of paper) are removed and cut to the marks made by the toothed cutting-wheel. By separating the edges of the sections and mark ing the pattern-blanks between them the edges of the pattern-sections can be made to come at an equal distance from both of them, and thus secure a neater fit of the garment .made from the pattern than if the seam or edge of the pattern were made to pass down along the edge of either of the sections of the conformator, as a greater distention or separation of the sections takes place at some points than at others, and a line following either edge of the sections must necessarily show such variation; but by passing the line down midway between the two sections the distance between them is equally divided, and the seam will be so located that the relative position upon the larger portions of the object will be the same as on the smaller or less distended portions; or if it be desired to throw the seam to one side or the other to make a neater appearance or better fit the tracingwheel can be changed from the center to either side along which it is desired that the line or seam shall be. In this way a perfectly truefitting garment may be obtained without calculation or without resorting to a rule of any kind, all that is required to be done to obtain an exact pattern of the object to be measured being to put the jacket on, secure the outer edges together, and mark the inclosed patterns, as above mentioned.

I claim as my invention- 1. A conformator for retaining blanks for making patterns, consisting of a series of sections of a size approximately to fit the object for which the pattern is to be made and having elastic connections whereby the edges of said sections are separable and movable toward and from each other, and hooks upon the interior of the sections for temporarily retaining the blanks of which the pattern is to be made, substantially as described.

2. A conformator and a series of patternblanks temporarily secured to the interior thereof, said conformator consisting of a series of sections the edges of which are separable and movable toward and from each other, and said blanks being larger than their respective sections of the conformator and having their adjacent edges overlapping between the adjacent edges of said sections of the conformator, and means for making the outlines of two adjacent pattern-sections at one and the same timeas, for instance, a marking-wheel -substantially as described.

WVILLIAM GEORGE VENNER.

Nitnesses:

CORA J. BLAKELEY, WILLIAM ELLwooD. 

